Thursday, June 14, 2018

Red Sox And Mariners Set To Face-Off Seven Times In The Next Eleven Days

(Getty Images)

Pretty soon, two of the best teams in the American League are going find out which club has bragging rights over the other. Starting tonight, and over the next eleven days, the Red Sox and Mariners are going to be way too familiar with each other—playing seven times in that compact period of time. It starts with four games at Safeco Field and winds up with a three-game set at Fenway Park (June 22-24). Seattle is one of the most surprising teams of 2018—currently in first place in the American League West, a half-game ahead of the World Series Champion Houston Astros. They are currently on a four-game winning streak—and have won eight of their last ten. Even without perennial All-Star Robinson Cano (suspended 80 games for violating the MLB's joint drug agreement),the M's are 23-12 at the cozy confines of Safeco (which, in our opinion, is the best ballpark in baseball). There are basically two guys who have powered the Seattle offense this year—right-fielder Mitch Haniger (16 HRs, 52 RBIs) and shortstop Jean Segura (.347 BA). While Kyle Seager has had an off year, some of the slack has been picked up by players like Dee Gordon (.282) and Nelson Cruz (16 HRs). Veteran starters Mike Leake and James Paxton have led the way in the rotation, while Felix Hernandez has not had his best season (5.70 ERA). Closer Edwin Diaz has been solid in the Mariner 'pen—notching 25 saves already this season. So, around the end of June, we should know if the M's are for real—or if the Red Sox have burst their bubble.

OFFICIAL BOOSTER CLUB

FN ARCHIVE

FOLLOW BY EMAIL

FN WEBSITE AWARDS

FN MEMBERSHIPS

CC—2019 FenwayNation.com—except Red Sox logo used in accordance with the Fair Use provision (section 107) of U.S. Copyright Act. This website is not affiliated with the Boston Red Sox, Major League Baseball or any other organization. Opinions expressed by FN columnists are their own, and do not necessarily reflect the views of the full FN Board. Most game photos courtesy of the Associated Press, Getty Images and/or Reuters (unless otherwise attributed).